Jacobs Creek Reserve Riesling 2007

Well, this was a find. Usually I would veer away from any white older than 3-4 years for sale in the UAE (except perhaps a super dooper white that is in the temperature controlled cabinet), due to the storage issues - I've had more than a couple of cooked whites from 2009 this year. But, this wine was under stelvin (screw cap), and I know it well - it ages very nicely, and 2007 was a long cool ripening season for the Barossa region where this comes from - making it a good Riesling candidate for a little extra time in bottle. Besides, I was nostalgic for Aussie Riesling, and this was all I could find.

This time I hit the jackpot - kinda. It's a great example of what happens to Riesling when it ages - it's got that slightly resinous/waxy character that many call petrol - but it's not petrol at all. It's hard to describe. In fact, it would be better to compare it to the smell of lemon essential oil as compared to fresh lemon. Imagine that's what's happened to your fresh floral limey riesling. It's more savoury, more concentrated than the real thing, and sitting a little off-tangent. This oily texture and slightly lanolin nose is accompanied by a little toast (from age, definitely not oak).

Then we get into the fruit. It's still there in buckets - mainly lime of course, with the last lingering floral nuance, which will probably disappear over the next year and be replaced by a dried saffron and then hay character, which is already creeping in. Right before the finish you get a saline/mineral hit. The downer with this wine is that the end is a little short. The acid is still darling, but I was kind of hoping that I'd get a little honey and toast to finish me off. That doesn't really happen - heaps of limey essential oil and a whisper of marmalade.

Ah well, you can't have it all. This wine is very cheap for its quality, and I doubt you'll ever find another aged Aussie Riesling on a Dubai shelf. Get in quick - there's not much left (MMI).

Drink Now
AED 59 + tax
16/20

Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz

Australia is famous for its Barossa Shiraz, and it's famous for Penfolds. After all, our most well respected wine, Grange, is a Barossa Shiraz made by Penfolds. When most people go to the shelf and pick up a Shiraz (Syrah to the rest of the world) from this region, they are expecting something intense, full of blackberry jam and chocolate. But the Kalimna is not quite that wine. Sure, it's intense, but not like the bounty bar of sweet oak and syrupy fruit that many might expect. You pay more, you get more. So, in addition to your cheap chocolate bar and jar of preserve, expect to find some black olives, vanilla, briary blackberries and pepper. Maybe even a little iron-like minerality, just ever so slightly bloody. Not the best Kalimna, but as always, a pretty damn good one.

Drink 1-7 years
130AED
14.5/20

Riorret Pinot Noir (Merricks Grove) 2009

Sorry Dubai drinkers - I'm swilling this in Oz, and you'll probably never see it. But it's just so good, I have to tell you anyway. And, I'm going to go on a bit. Maybe it will seal your faith in De Bortoli - the tall poppy label hiding behind this boutique little number. They've always been able to work a little magic with Pinot Noir - whether you're looking at what they do with Phi, the Yarra Valley Reserve range and even good old Gulf Station and Windy Peak (these are available in the UAE). I'd happily raise a flag to them and state they are the most consistent producers of Pinot Noir in Australia at a wide range of price points.

Now. The wine. I'm still sipping it as I write, although I'm sure it will not last long. Considering I'm at my computer and enjoying it so much, I've done a little Google search. I'm not the only one who's loved this - not surprising. What IS surprising is that the reviews I have read do not seem to reflect the wine I've currently got in my glass. Well not entirely. But is this a reflection on the reviewer, the timing, the bottling or the grape?

D'Arenberg "The Stump Jump" White blend 2010

Considering its price, this is a very complex little number - but I guess that's no surprise, as it contains at least 4 grape varieties that are vastly different and incredibly aromatic (Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Rousanne and Marsanne). It's a funny old thing - tropical and citrussy like a sauvignon and then all fat with honey and rockmelon. A touch of residual sugar makes it supremely quaffable. Good crowd pleaser for a party.


Drink now
50AED + tax
13.5/20

Jacobs Creek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

My favourite tasting from the range. Shows intense regional and varietal character - it's just a bundle of blackcurrant, eucalypt and mineral salts from that super Coonawarra soil. Quite ripe and forward with excellent body, slightly grippy tannins and some lovely complexity with delicate oak treatment and savoury leaf notes.


Drink now or for 5 years
70AED + tax
15/20

Jacobs Creek Reserve Shiraz 2009

Textbook Barossa Shiraz - super viscous and chocolatey with a spicy and lean blackberry jam backbone. Nice oak treatment - a little sweetness but not over-the-top coconut-flavoured like some from the region. Fairly good vintage too, so will cellar well for a few years. It's already quite nicely balanced, but expect the spice and chocolate to transition to molasses, cedar and coffee. Soft. Yum.


Drink now to 10 years
70AED +
14/20

Jacobs Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2011

Squeaky clean chardy that is bound to be a room pleaser - not too heavy and buttery, and not the other flinty extreme either. Just some light fruit hints of green mango and lemon oil, mixed with gorgeous bready yeast, which is the highlight. Does not taste like a mass produced wine, and will probably even age for a year or two - rare for an Aussie Chardonnay.

Drink now or over 3 years
70AED +
14/20